This invention relates to solid fuel combustion systems and, specifically, to an improved method for achieving minimization of NOx emissions and carbon loss in solid fuel combustion in boilers, furnaces and the like.
Regulatory requirements for low emissions from gas turbine power plants have increased over the past 15 years. Environmental agencies throughout the world are requiring even lower rates of emissions of NOx and other pollutants from both new and existing power plants.
For coal (or other solid fuel) fired boilers in power generating plants, a range of NOx control technologies is available. Currently, two approaches are widely used in coal-fired boilers: Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) and Combustion Modification.
SCR involves injection of ammonia and its reaction with NOx on the surface of a catalyst. SCR systems can be designed for most boilers and may be the only approach for high NOx units such as cyclones. However, SCR retrofits are often complex with fan upgrades and major duct modifications resulting in high initial capital cost. Catalyst life is uncertain and the catalyst continues to degrade when NOx control is not required (7 months per year) unless a bypass is installed with additional capital cost. On the other hand, SCR economics are favorably influenced by increasing size.
As an alternative to SCR, Combustion Modification achieves deep NOx control by integrating several components:
Low NOx Burners (LNB)xe2x80x94Decrease NOx emissions by utilizing fuel and air staging inside the burner. This is typically the lowest cost Combustion Modification technique and is usually applied as the first step towards low cost deep NOx control.
Overfire Airxe2x80x94(OFA)xe2x80x94The addition of air into an upper level of the combustor can reduce NOx by an additional xcx9c25% from LNB.
Reburningxe2x80x94Reburning involves injecting additional fuel above the existing burner zone followed by OFA for burnout and CO control. Reburning can effectively reduce NOx by up to 60% from LNB levels depending on site-specific factors and the amount of reburn fuel injected. The reburning fuel can be natural gas, oil, micronized coal, biomass, etc.
Advanced Reburning (AR)xe2x80x94AR is a combination of reburning and Selective Non-Catalytic Reduction (SNCR). AR can reduce NOx an additional 50% without ammonia slip problems. The N-agent (ammonia or urea) can be injected in a number of configurations selected to optimize overall performance of the reburning and SNCR components at minimum overall cost.
However, low NOx burners and coal reburning generally increase carbon content in ash. This is because staging in low NOx burners does not provide ample residence time for coal particles injected at the upper level burners to completely burnout. Operating conditions for coal reburning are also not suitable for complete combustion of carbon. Therefore, there is a key need for minimization of carbon-in-ash for low NOx technologies.
As mentioned above, many combustion modification techniques can cause flyash carbon to increase to unacceptable levels. In numerous examples, the retrofit of LNB to existing boilers has resulted in increased carbon-in-ash and consequently combustion efficiency losses. The unburned carbon represents a few percent of total fuel consumption. Additionally, productive uses of carbon enriched flyash are limited, and high carbon ash is more expensive to dispose of. A typical use for flyash is as an additive in concrete. Flyash can react with lime providing improved concrete properties, such as additional strength, lower water content, lower heat of hydration, and lowest cost. However, high carbon ash is not usable in concrete. The standard specifications call for less than 6% carbon-in-ash, although some specific projects require as low as 3%.
The challenge is to minimize carbon loss while also minimizing NOx emissions. Two methods have been demonstrated for reducing carbon-in-ash under low NOx conditions. The first method is the reduction of coal particle size, and the second is natural gas reburning (GR). Although particle size reduction is an effective method of reducing carbon loss in low NOx systems, this technique usually requires expensive modifications or complete replacement of the pulverizing equipment.
Although gas reburning is a proven technology for effective NOx reduction and reducing carbon losses, the cost of gas is significantly higher than the cost of the main fuel, coal. For reburning or AR using natural gas, the differential cost of the reburn fuel is a key cost element, often comprising more than half of the total cost of the NOx control system. The differential cost of the reburning fuel can be eliminated by reburning with the same fuel normally fired in the boiler, i.e., coal. Unfortunately, it is difficult to achieve complete burnout of the reburn coal due to the lack of oxygen in the reburning zone and the low temperature in the burnout zone once OFA is injected. Thus, while the differential cost of the reburn fuel is eliminated, there is a reduction in combustion efficiency and the resulting high carbon ash cannot be sold and must be disposed at additional cost. Therefore, an ideal situation would be to utilize LNB, coal reburning, advanced coal reburning, and other technologies that utilize fuel-rich and fuel-lean zones to reduce NOx emissions, but at the same time mitigate the problem associated with the increase of carbon-in-ash.
This invention discloses a method for minimizing carbon-in-ash while providing high efficiency NOx control for solid fuel combustion. As mentioned earlier, the main problem with LNB technology is that carbon-in-ash can increase to unacceptable levels, reducing efficiency and precluding utilization of the ash by the cement industry.
In the first embodiment of this invention, partially gasified coal (or other solid fuel) is injected into the upper level burner(s) in coal-fired boilers. For partial in-duct coal gasification, the coal can be transported and injected by a recycled flue gas stream at 600-900xc2x0 F. This allows the coal particles to be preheated and partially pyrolyzed and gasified in the duct and then injected into the boiler as a mixture of coal, gaseous product, and char. Conditions suitable for avoiding accumulation of tar in the duct have been identified.
As an option, carbon-in-ash can also be reduced by cyclone separation of the gaseous and solid products prior to injection into the upper level burners. Indeed, coal typically consists of approximately equal fractions of volatile matter and fixed carbon. Splitting the fuel stream will allow the volatile matter to be used at the upper level burners in the primary combustion zone, and the fixed carbon to be injected into the lower level burners.
In a second embodiment, partially gasified coal can be injected into a reburning zone downstream of the primary combustion zone, followed by OFA injection in the burnout zone (downstream of the reburning zone). The solid residue also can optionally be injected into the main combustion zone. Also optionally, only small amounts of gasification products can be injected into the reburning zone, with remaining products and solid residue injected into the main combustion zone. At low amounts of gasification products in the reburning zone, its stoichiometry remains fuel-lean and no OFA needs to be injected to complete combustion.
Thus, in accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of decreasing concentration of nitrogen oxides and carbon loss in a combustion flue gas comprising a) providing a boiler having a combustion zone; b) providing a plurality of burners in a lower level of the combustion zone and one or more burners in an upper level of the combustion zone; c) injecting combustible solid fuel and an oxidizing agent into the plurality of burners in the lower level of the combustion zone; d) injecting partially gasified solid fuel into at least one of the one or more burners in the upper level of the combustion zone.
In another aspect, the invention relates to a method of decreasing concentration of nitrogen oxides and carbon loss in a combustion flue gas comprising: a) a combustion zone including a primary zone, a reburning zone and a burnout zone; b) providing a plurality of burners in the primary zone; c) injecting a combustible solid fuel and an oxidizing agent into the plurality of burners in the primary zone; and d) injecting partially gasified coal into the reburning zone, downstream of the primary zone. Overfire air may be added to the burnout zone, downstream of the reburning zone.
In still another aspect, the invention relates to a method of decreasing concentration of nitrogen oxides and carbon loss in a combustion flue gas comprising a) providing a boiler having a combustion zone; b) providing a plurality of burners in a lower level of the combustion zone and one or more burners in an upper level of the combustion zone; c) injecting coal and an oxidizing agent into the plurality of burners in the lower level of the combustion zone to produce a combustion flue gas; and d) injecting partially gasified coal into at least one of the one or more burners in the upper level of the combustion zone; wherein step d) is achieved by mixing coal particles with recirculating flue gas; and wherein the flue gas is at 600-900xc2x0 F.
In still another aspect, the invention relates to apparatus for minimizing NOx emissions and carbon loss in solid fuel combustion comprising a boiler having an inlet, a combustion zone, and an outlet; a plurality of burners arranged in a lower level of the combustion zone and one or more burners in an upper level of the combustion zone; means for supplying air and solid fuel to the plurality of burners in the lower level of the combustion zone; and means for supplying partially gasified solid fuel to at least one of the one or more burners in the upper level of the combustion zone.
In still another aspect, the invention relates to apparatus for minimizing NOx emissions and carbon loss in solid fuel combustion comprising: a boiler having an inlet, a combustion zone, and an outlet wherein the combustion zone includes a primary zone, a reburning zone and a burnout zone; a plurality of burners arranged in said primary zone; means for supplying air and solid fuel to the plurality of burners in the primary zone; and means for supplying partially gasified solid fuel to the reburning zone. Means may also be provided for supplying overfire air to the burnout zone, downstream of the reburning zone.